Read our income management policy.
Our commitment to you
We will provide you with full and clear information on the rent and service charges you are required to pay, when you have to pay and with a range of ways you can pay.
We will only take enforcement action as a last resort and will provide you with support to manage your budget, access benefits and make payments.
If you need help getting into work, our Communities team can support you. Please ask us how we can help.
How you can pay your rent and service charges
We offer a range of ways you can pay your rent and service charges to give you the option to pay in a way that works for you and us.
Direct Debit is our preferred payment method, as this ensures your rent and/or service charges are paid automatically, and you do not have to remember to make a payment. We will offer you the opportunity to set up a Direct Debit when you move into your home, and you can move to Direct Debit at any time.
You can pay through your MyCKH account on our website www.crosskeyshomes.co.uk. Payments through this channel are secure and you can also view your rent account balance and download your rent statement.
You can call our 24/7 automated payment line, 0330 088 3786, to make a payment with your credit or debit card over the phone.
You can also pay your rent and/or service charges easily online using the secure allpay website. You'll need to register online before making your first payment. www.allpayments.net. Allpay also has an app that you can download and you can pay through the app.
You can set up a text payment account with allpay. Visit www.allpayments.net/TextPay.
You can also pay by cash or card at any post office or PayPoint location or at CKH Customer Central in Bridge Street, Peterborough.
Before you get your home and when you move in
When we first show you your new home and when you get your keys we will tell you all the ways you can pay your rent and/or service charges and let you know that you risk losing your home if you do not pay. We will also support you to make or update your Housing Benefit or Universal Credit claim or we will offer you the appropriate advice about how to manage your existing claim.
Rent is payable in advance and we will ask you to pay four weeks rent at the sign-up for a new tenancy. If you tell us you cannot afford this then we will consider your case on an individual basis along with any mitigating circumstances. We will refer you to our Money Adviser or relevant team for support if required. We reserve the right to withdraw offers of accommodation if there is no reasonable mitigation for not being able to afford rent in advance is offered.
Rent statements
You can view and download your rent statement at any time through your MyCKH account. We will encourage you to register for MyCKH when you sign up and can assist you with accessing your account. We can also issue a rent statement on request and will send them out at points through the arrears escalation process, should you fall behind with your rent. If you require your statement in a language other than English, or in a format such as Braille, please let us know.
We will also write to you every year to inform you of any changes to your rent and service charges and what you need to do to change the amount you pay to us.
If you are struggling to pay your rent
You should call us as soon as you feel you are unable to pay your rent. We are here to help. You can get support with budgeting and accessing benefits from our Money Adviser. We also have a budgeting tool and benefits calculator available on our website.
If you are demonstrating financial hardship or require additional support we will refer you to either our Money Adviser, our Tenancy Sustainment team or a third party provider, depending on what is most appropriate for your need.
Our Income Management team will be here for you if you fall behind with your rent. This is known as being in arrears. You will be assigned an Income Adviser according to where you live.
Once you are in arrears you will need to speak to our Income Management team before you can report a repair. Our Repairs team will transfer the call to the Income Management team to discuss your account and repayment plan before you are transferred back to the Repairs team to report your repair.
Making agreements
Before we consider legal action around your arrears you will be given the opportunity to make a payment agreement to repay the debt. This will be confirmed to you in writing and we will monitor this.
We expect you to clear your debt at the earliest opportunity. We will assess your income and expenditure to identify a payment that is affordable to you and there is an expectation that you will pay this additional amount and let us know if your circumstances change.
Grounds for possession
We have the right to apply to repossess your home if you fail to pay your rent or maintain an agreed payment agreement. We can seek possession on the following grounds.
Discretionary Grounds
Grounds 10 & 11 - All notices issued for rent arrears will contain these grounds.
Mandatory Grounds
Ground 8: This ground can only be used when you are at least eight full weeks in arrears at the time that we serve the notice and at the date of the possession hearing. Where this is the case, as this ground is mandatory, then the court must grant possession.
Clear evidence of lack of engagement or an unwillingness to pay rent will form part of the consideration for the use of this ground
Section 21 Notices: Section 21 Notices will only be used for affordable fixed term tenancies, Private Rent and Assured Shorthold ‘starter’ tenancies that are still within their probationary period.
Pre-Action protocol
We adhere to the pre-action protocol issued by the Ministry of Justice in respect of the pursuance of rent and arrears prior to taking court action. Our procedures reflect the requirements for communication and consideration as laid out in the protocol.
In addition, we will liaise with the local authority Housing Needs teams and local advice and support services to ensure that other opportunities for homelessness prevention activity can be utilised.
Court hearings
We will escalate to court action when all other avenues have been exhausted and you have continued to remain in arrears. A court order will be sought to enforce payment of outstanding arrears. Any costs incurred in the pursuance of legal proceedings will be recharged to you if the Judge so allows.
Eviction
If you fail to comply with a court order and fail to respond to attempts to remedy this lack of compliance we will seek eviction.
Any costs incurred in the pursuance of legal proceedings will be recharged to you once the eviction has been completed.
We may make a homeless referral to the local authority and other agencies involved in your support prior to and after the execution of a warrant of eviction.
Rent charges will cease from the day of the eviction.
Debt Relief Orders (DRO) and Bankruptcy
If you secure a DRO or a Bankruptcy Order and include debt owed to us in the order, we will look to seek possession of the property based on your inability to afford the ongoing rent payments and where this is proportionate to the level of debt.
Hierarchy of debt
If you have multiple debts with us, then below is the order in which those debts should be repaid:
- Current rent arrears
- Court costs
- Former tenant rent arrears
- Current Chargeable repairs
- Current garage arrears
- Former garage arrears
- Former Chargeable repairs
Former tenant arrears
We will pursue former tenant debt in accordance with our former tenant arrears policy and procedure.
Chargeable repairs
Repairs where a charge is levied will be managed and pursued as per the Chargeable repair’s procedure.
Universal Credit & Housing Benefit
We acknowledge that if you are awaiting the outcome of a Housing Benefit or Universal Credit claim then arrears may accrue and as a result, we will not pursue recovery through legal action during this period.
However, we have a ‘no excuses’ approach which means that you are expected to be fully engaged with the processes involved in resolving your claim and should continue to make any payments as appropriate.
We will liaise with local authorities and the DWP to ensure that all opportunities for intervention and support is offered.
Applications for Alternative Payment Arrangements and Direct Payments will only be made where this is appropriate and in line with the guidance issued by Universal Credit.
Where a sole Universal Credit claim is made by a tenant that holds a joint tenancy, and it can be verified that this person is the only tenant occupying the property, then UC will be notified that this should be classed as an “Untidy Tenancy” or “Absent Tenant” for rent purposes. This means that any eligible housing costs can be calculated based on the full rent despite this claimant having a shared liability for the rent under the joint tenancy.
We will assist you to make claims for Discretionary Housing Payments where this will assist in the reduction of debt on the rent account, and in line with the pre-action protocol.
Housing Benefit and Universal Credit Overpayments
We will always communicate with you where there is a change to the rent payments due to Housing Benefit or Universal Credit overpayments. Where necessary a payment plan can be created to meet the repayment of the debt.
The Local Authority (LA) and/or Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) will invoice us should you have received benefits and were later found to not be entitled to them. We will pay this invoice and where necessary, the overpayment will be added to your account and we will communicate this to you by phone, email or letter.
If this overpayment is found to be because you failed declare a relevant change of circumstance that we could not reasonably be aware of, we will challenge this with the relevant LA through the Housing Benefit Appeals process or direct to the Universal Credit department. If successful, the invoice to us should be cancelled and the LA/DWP will then seek to acquire the overpayment directly from you.
Where it is found that both we and you are jointly liable for the non-disclosure of a relevant change in circumstances, we may be required to repay a portion of the overpayment, depending on the circumstances. (e.g. where an overpayment is for an eight week period, and we were only aware for three of those weeks, we would only be liable for the three weeks, the remaining five weeks would be sought directly from you).
The overpayment adjustment will be added to the rent account, and recovery will be managed through the normal escalation and recovery process.
Rent in advance
You should pay your rent in advance to protect you should you encounter a period of financial difficulty.
You will be asked to pay four weeks rent in advance at sign-up of a new tenancy.
If you are an existing tenant who pays rent you are also required to ensure that you are paying in advance and that your rent account does not fall into arrears in the period between payments.
If you are not able to put your rent account in advance by one payment, and you are in a pre-court escalation period, then an agreement will be set until the agreed level of credit is met.
Credits and refunds
We will only issue a refund at your request, as a tenant.
If your true credit balance is over £1,000, we will proactively contact you to assess if you require a refund.
We will encourage those who have a credit balance to leave a balance equivalent to 1 payment on your rent account and you will be advised you will need to ensure that you are still paying rent in advance.
Fraudulent Activity
Where the payment pattern is leaving a substantial credit on an account and/or there is other activity that appears inconsistent with expected behaviour (e.g. where Housing Benefit is in payment yet the customer is also paying) we will commence an investigation into money laundering or tenancy fraud.
Further information:
Who is responsible for managing the Income Management Policy?
The Income Management Policy is managed by the Service Manager, Income Management, reporting into the Director of Operations.
Legislation and regulation
This policy is written in accordance with the following regulatory and legislative requirements:
- The Regulatory Framework for Social Housing in England
- Pre-Action Protocol for Possession Claims by Social Landlords (Pre-Court protocol):
Information sharing
Cross Keys Homes has an information sharing agreement with key agencies and contractors to share information in relation to the delivery of our services. Information shared must be relevant and the Data Protection Procedure adhered to when handling data. You can find more information about how we manage your data in our Transparency and Privacy Policy.
Monitoring and review
The Income Management Policy was written and approved in February 2023 and will be reviewed every three years – next review February 2026.